


Savior

by Sebastian_the_Mercat



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-05
Updated: 2015-12-05
Packaged: 2018-05-05 03:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5359190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sebastian_the_Mercat/pseuds/Sebastian_the_Mercat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Max and Warren wake up in the dark room, but they are not alone: Mr. Jefferson is in there with his faithful companion Nathan. But is everything as it seems? Perhaps Warren and Max aren't the only ones that need saving...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Salutations. There are spoilers for episode 4 in this, so beware! This is based off the fact that Warren was acting super drugged up at the end of episode 4 as well, just saying!
> 
> Warnings: Non-consensual drug use, rape, abuse, language, Mr. Jeffuckson
> 
> Important note: This fanfic was published previous to the release of episode 5.

Max came to consciousness slowly. Like swimming from the bottom of the ocean to the surface, she fought every second, her mind desperately clawing its way back towards awareness.

Finally, with one final swift kick, she managed to propel herself forward enough to open her eyes a crack.

Everything was bright, unnaturally so. The light was pulsing, drilling its way into her mind, causing a horrible blooming pain to fill her thoughts.

'What happened?' she asked herself. She shifted her body, trying to bring up her hands to rub her eyes, only to realize that they (along with her feet) were tightly bound.

Panic began to fill her chest as glimpses of memories darted before her closed eyes: The Vortex Party, warning Victoria, going to the junkyard with Chloe- CHLOE!

Max's eyes were immediately opened wide and darting around. However, the pain in her head was too much and her eyes would not focus properly. She groaned, letting her eyes fall closed once more.

But the horrifying scene of a bullet ripping through Chloe's skull was playing on repeat in her head. And yet, Max couldn't bring herself to shed a tear, in that moment.

'Chloe can't be dead!' Max thought to herself, curling up. 'We've came so far! We've done so much! I've saved her so many times...she can't be dead, she just CAN'T! She's CHLOE fucking PRICE!'

In spite of her mental encouragement, Max knew the truth. And that truth caused Max to whimper, curling into a ball as she fought back her emotions.

After all, she did not feel like she was in a very good position to suddenly begin sobbing loudly.

Max forced her jumbled mind to focus once more, to try and remember anything that happened after Chloe...

However, no matter how hard she tried, all she could remember was a sharp pain in her neck, followed by a familiar, shadowed figure standing over her.

Who that shadowed figure was, Max did not know. But she had a guess.

A sudden groan erupted from somewhere off to her right, causing her to whip her head to the side, opening her eyes.

Her vision seemed to be returning to her, as she immediately recognized the figure (who was tied up in a similar fashion to her) as her best guy friend, Warren Graham.

"W...War...ren...?" Max questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. Her throat felt unreasonably dry and scratchy.

Warren's eyes immediately opened, though the expression on his face was a pained one. "M...Max? What's happening?"

Max shook her head, trying to maneuver herself into a sitting position. "I...don't know..."

Warren tried following her lead, but was apparently too weak to be doing any of that, yet, as he immediately crashed sideways, letting out a loud curse. "FUCK!"

Both of them jumped at the quick pounding of feet against metal. Max whirled around to eye the entrance to the little area they were in with a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes.

A body popped around the corner, and in that moment, Max felt like she could very easily spit fire.

Nathan Prescott walked over to where both her and Warren were, kneeling down beside them.

There was something off about Nathan, something that Max couldn't quite place her finger on. He looked jumpy, even more so than usual, and his body was shaking so much it looked like it was vibrating.

But Max wasn't worried about that. She was worried about herself and Warren and the current situation they were in.

"You...motherfucker!" Warren exclaimed, once again trying to lunge to his knees (only to fail once again).

Nathan took a deep breath, his eyes seeking out Max's. There was some sort of desperation in them, as he spoke for the first time. "You need to be quiet," he whispered.

Max felt that fury rising up within her. "Be quiet? Be quiet?! I should have turned you into the principal when I had the chance, you creep!"

Nathan appeared to grow more and more panicked with every word she spoke. Suddenly, his hand settled over her mouth, causing her to yelp.

He leaned in close, so close that she could see the sweat breaking out on his forehead. "P...please...you need to b quiet..." he practically begged, in a soft voice.

However, he forgot about one thing.

Warren, whilst Nathan was trying to convince Max to remain silent, had managed to climb to his knees, and, for the second time in twenty-four hours, head-butted Nathan in the face.

Nathan let out a pained yelp, collapsing backwards onto the floor. His face had still looked pretty messed up from his and Warren's fight, and the brutal hit had caused a few of his wounds to reopen and begin bleeding slightly.

"That's what you get!" Warren snapped, as Nathan curled up slightly, whimpering.

The sudden screeching of a chair against the metal floor of the bunker had all three kids jumping. Max stared down at Nathan, as he began desperately mouthing apologies at her. So there was someone else involved with this thing?

"Nathan," a horribly familiar voice intoned, as they rounded the corner. "Nathan, I do believe I told you to make them be quiet."

Both Max and Warren gasped, the words seeming to leave them as Mr. Jefferson came to stand in the room, right above Nathan.

'It wasn't Nathan I saw in the junkyard then!' Max thought wildly, her eyes finally managing to dart away from the dark eyes of her used-to-be-favorite teacher, focusing on Nathan.

As soon as Jefferson had entered the room, Nathan's shakes had only gotten worse, his expression becoming one of pure terror.

"I...I'm sorry..." Nathan whispered finally, bowing his head in submission.

Both Max and Warren flinched back, as Jefferson suddenly reached down, grabbing Nathan's hair, jerking his head back.

"You know it's bad manners to speak to your superiors without looking them in the eye," Jefferson said, raising an eyebrow.

Nathan seemed to swallow convulsively, as though he was having hard time remembering how to breath, let alone talk. "It...it w-won't happen again, s-sir..."

"See to it that it does not," Jefferson said, the scary expression melting away to the familiar smile he wore during his classes. The hand gripping Nathan's hair loosened its grip, instead beginning to gently run through the light brown strands. Nathan's eyes closed slightly, as he leaned into the touch, in spite of the still-terrified expression on his face. The whole thing made Max feel like throwing up.

Apparently Warren felt similarly, as he suddenly exclaimed, "What the fuck?!"

Jefferson's hand left Nathan's head, as he once again stood to his full height. Nathan seemed to curl up slightly, at the loss of contact.

However, Max's focus was drawn to Jefferson, as he looked at both Warren and her in this unnerving way.

He was looking at them - not like they were people, his students - but like props.

"I see you two have finally decided to grace us with your presence," Jefferson said, with a creepy little smirk on his face. "We were worried there for a bit, weren't we Nathan?"

Nathan didn't say a word. He merely laid his head against Jefferson's leg, his eyes looking unfocused.

"Go to hell!" Warren growled, shifting in his duct-tape prison. Max had no doubts that should Warren have been left free instead of tied up, he probably would have beaten Jefferson into oblivion by that point.

And Max totally would have let him.

As it were, both of them were tied up and helpless, as Jefferson's eyes combed over the both of them.

"I did not expect such fire out of you, Mr. Graham," Jefferson said with a smirk. His hand once again came down to comb through Nathan's hair. "Nathan told me, of course, that you get rather worked up when your Max is threatened, so I suppose I should have expected that."

Warren ground his teeth, his eyes practically glowing in rage. "Max isn't MINE. Max isn't ANYBODY'S!"

"But you want her to be yours, do you not?" Jefferson asked. Warren opened his mouth to reply, but no words seemed to come to him. Jefferson smirked. "You like her, do you not?"

Warren's eyes became steely in an instant. "Yes, okay? Yes, I like Max. But would I stop defending her, stop being her friend if she liked someone else? Would I try and force myself upon her if she wasn't interested? Hell to the fucking no!"

Jefferson raised an eyebrow, turning his eyes on Max. "Really? That's quite interesting..." Jefferson's hand tightened in Nathan's hair, as he dragged the boy to his feet. Nathan whimpered, but besides that, made no sound, as he turned tortured eyes to his two classmates. "In my experience, if you want something...you take it."

"That's because you're a fucked up psychopath that nobody would want!" Warren exclaimed. In spite of the situation, Max felt like giggling at that.

However, that giggle caught in her throat, as she noticed the way Jefferson's hands were gently caressing Nathan, rubbing slightly at his shoulders, running through his hair, grazing across his lips. The sick feeling returned to her stomach at seeing his eyes, the light blue seeming to drown in hopelessness.

Jefferson suddenly released Nathan, pushing him away from Max and Warren. "Go wait in the corner."

Nathan looked unsure, his eyes darting in between Jefferson and Max and Warren. Jefferson gave him a soft smile. "You wish to impress me, to make me proud, do you not?"

Nathan still hesitated, his teeth sinking into his lip. Then, suddenly, Jefferson was stalking over to him, backhanding him across the face hard enough to send Nathan crashing to the floor.

"Go take your pills and wait in the corner. I don't get what's so hard to understand about that!" Jefferson growled. Nathan flinched violently, his mouth forming silent apologies. But whether those apologies were meant for Jefferson, or her and Warren, Max could not tell.

Jefferson stalked back over to them, as Nathan shakily followed his orders. He rolled his eyes. "He's more trouble than he's worth, sometimes, but his father insisted he take this job. And...well, what Sean Prescott wants, Sean Prescott gets."

"You...you realize how fucked up this is," Max whispered, speaking for what felt like the first time in forever.

Jefferson merely shrugged. "It's a business. It can't be helped."

"Th...this is so..." Max whispered, but words to describe the absolute horror of that place escaped her.

Jefferson looked between Warren and Max, a thought seeming to form. "You know...the only reason I brought you here," he murmured, toeing Warren with his shoe, "was because you were foolish enough to try and follow Nathan back to his dorm."

"I was trying to-" Warren cut himself off, but Max figured the last word was going to be "apologize", judging by the uncomfortable look on his face. Warren did, after all, beat Nathan up pretty bad.

"Regardless," Jefferson continued, his eyes swinging over to focus on Max, "it is an ever so rare occasion that I am given the opportunity to photograph a couple."

Max felt her stomach began to churn, and judging by the way Warren's face paled, she figured the same gruesome thoughts were flickering through his head.

"No!" Warren yelled. "No, I refuse! I like Max, but I respect her even more! I would never EVER do anything with her without her complete and total consent!"

Max felt her heart warm slightly, but that warmth was suddenly dashed out by ice shooting through her veins, as a needle sunk into her neck once again. She opened her mouth, croaking out, "War...ren..." before he was stabbed as well.

They both stared up at Jefferson, who was looking down at them with an impassive expression on his visage. "I wouldn't say that if I were you. I mean, from where I'm standing, neither of you have much of a choice."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salutations! The rating for this chapter is more on the M side, due to there being a few paragraphs detailing someone getting raped. You have been warned!

The next time Max awoke, Warren was already wide awake. However, he was completely silent, as a strip of duct tape had been placed over his mouth. Max tried to speak to him, but felt she was similarly incapacitated.

She turned her still blurry eyes to the rest of the room. That was when she noticed Jefferson sitting on a couch encased in plastic, Nathan kneeling at his feet. Nathan's face was turned towards theirs, and his expression was so heartbreakingly terrified, that Max was beginning to feel sorry for him.

Besides the fact that he was probably deeply involved with all the horrible shit that had been happening, that is.

"Ah, Max has decided to join us once more. Please excuse the duct tape, Max, but your loud voices were making Nathan nervous."

'I doubt it was our voices that were making him nervous,' she thought viciously. As though sensing her thoughts, Jefferson chucked.

"Oh well, I suppose. In any case, I don't suppose you have changed your mind, Warren?" Jefferson questioned.

Warren screamed into the duct tape, his eyes glaring fiercely at Jefferson. Nathan jumped at the noise, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I see." Jefferson calmly climbed to his feet, harshly kicking Nathan away, in the process. "Though I really do not see what the big deal is. It's just a few pictures."

Max wanted to scream that it wasn't "just a few pictures", that it all was so much more than that. She was once again thwarted by the duct tape, however.

Jefferson reached into his back pocket, pulling out a picture, letting it float down to land in between Max and Nathan. "I can even make it so neither of you remember anything."

The picture was one that Max had seen before: The one that looked horribly staged, with Nathan laying in an awkward position on the ground, Rachel laying half on top of him. Now that Max looked, really looked at the picture, she could practically see how drugged up Nathan had been in the shot.

"You can ask Nathan. He HONESTLY remembers nothing." Jefferson shrugged, like he was talking about something as simple as the weather, and not the fact he had drugged two of his students and forced them to go through a disturbing photo shoot.

Max looked over to Nathan. Her classmate looked absolutely miserable, pale and teary-eyed, his entire body shaking. 'Why do you allow him to treat you like this?! Why don't you resist him?!' she wanted to scream.

But remembering the way Nathan seemed to lean into Jefferson's touch, in spite of how upset he clearly was about the situation...Max winced. Was Nathan really so messed up and hurting that he would accept any sort of comfort he would get, even from a psychopath that was all-too-willing to hurt him as well?

Jefferson kneeled down, looking between Warren and her. Eventually he focused completely on Warren. "So. Will you submit, or not?"

Warren roared behind the duct tape, lunging towards Jefferson. Their teacher easily side stepped him, allowing Warren to flop on the ground.

"I see," Mr. Jefferson mused, his eyes turning to Max. "I really do not understand your relationship with that boy, Max."

Max growled lowly, hoping Jefferson got the message to back off. She knew she wasn't in any position to be acting like this but Chloe...Chloe wouldn't want her to give up.

Chloe would want her to fight.

Jefferson tilted his head, eyeing his two students. "Perhaps...you both need a sort of...demonstration, to convince you."

Fear shot through Max. She glanced at Warren, noticing how much he had paled as well. He moved slightly, placing himself in front of Max.

However, Jefferson wasn't focused on either of them. He stood up, turning from them, as he walked back over to where Nathan was curled up on the floor.

"It appears neither of our guests are willing to cooperate, Nathan," Jefferson said, staring down at him.

Nathan moved so quickly, he was nearly a blur. He made a break for the door to the bunker, his hand desperately reaching out for the latch.

Jefferson was quicker, though, grabbing Nathan's hair once more, jerking him back. Nathan cursed, collapsing against Jefferson.

"Did you take your pill?" Jefferson asked randomly, his eyes narrowing.

Nathan nodded quickly. Jefferson left him standing there in the middle of the floor, going over to check the pill bottle. He poured out several large pills into his hand, before counting them out. Seemingly satisfied, he returned to Nathan, bunching his hand up in the messed up brown locks, forcing their mouths to meet briefly.

At seeing the resigned fear in Nathan's eyes, Max felt herself growing sick.

With his hand still gripping Nathan's hair, Jefferson brought his lips to the boy's ear, whispering, "You want to make me proud, don't you? You want me to guide you, don't you?"

Nathan merely squeezed his eyes shut, his lips forming begging words of "please" and "sorry", no sound escaping him.

Jefferson jerked Nathan's coat off in one fluid motion, before pushing the much smaller boy to the floor.

Max felt the bile start rising up in her throat, as Jefferson collapsed over her classmate, his hands clawing and pawing at Nathan's remaining clothes.

He was suddenly forced onto his stomach, Jefferson hiking his pants down to his knees, his large hands rubbing up and down Nathan's thin, quivering back.

Nathan turned his head, his eyes focusing on Max and Warren. Warren moved to move forward, but Nathan was desperately shaking his head, mouthing, "No! Stay there! Please!"

Warren sat back against Max, though his dark eyes swam with as much agony as Max was feeling.

Jefferson's hand closed around Nathan's hands, trapping them above his head. The other hand's thumb tucked into the waistband of his boxer-briefs, yanking them down with ease.

"Watch closely," Jefferson breathed, and then, without another word or a bit of preparation, thrusted into Nathan.

Max heard this horrible screaming, then, and even later on, she still had no idea who the one to scream had been: Nathan, Warren, her, or some combination of the three of them.

All she knew, was that Nathan was in a lot of pain, and her and Warren could literally do nothing to stop it.

Jefferson moved, thrusting so violently that Nathan jerked with every movement. The younger man's eyes were squeezed shut, but in spite of that, there was a steady stream of tears rushing down his cheeks. Nathan's scream was raw and throaty, as he desperately tried to buck Jefferson off.

But he was weak, probably from his and Warren's fight earlier. He couldn't budge Jefferson an inch.

"Pay...close attention...to Nathan's face," Jefferson lectured breathlessly, as he continued to move harshly. "Agony...tortured...and yet oh so innocent, in a strange... strange way..."

Max heard Warren gagging, as he buried his head into her shoulder. Max wished she had the strength he did to look away.

But it was like watching a train crash. You couldn't not watch, as Nathan was pinned down and bleeding, his mouth spilling forth pleas so desperate, even Chloe would have taken pity on him.

Instead, she just continued watching as Jefferson clawed at her classmate, his movements causing a small pool of blood to form around Nathan's pelvis. She just watched as Jefferson ranted his mindless rambles about "contrast" and "innocence" and his fucking sick view of "beauty".

It seemed to go on forever, to Max. She couldn't imagine what it felt like for Nathan. Luckily, though, he passed out after only a few minutes.

"Careful Max...watch...the cli-" Jefferson let out a low groan, before pulling out of Nathan. He breathed deeply, climbing to his feet. Nathan still hadn't moved, remaining a lifeless sort of doll, broken on the floor.

Jefferson looked between Nathan and the two tied up kids, an eerily calm expression on his face. "I'm feeling rather bored right now, and I have a lot of work to grade...I suppose I can come back later for the photo shoot. It's not like either of you are going anywhere."

Max tried to glare at Jefferson, but she knew it was pointless, considering the no-doubt haunted look her eyes now portrayed, along with how much she had cried during that sick display (when had she began crying?). Warren still had his head buried in her shoulder, and judging by the way it felt a little wet, she assumed she wasn't the only one upset.

Jefferson toed Nathan. He didn't move. "I hope neither of you mind if I leave my pet here. He is oh so troublesome, in this sort of state."

And without another word, Jefferson turned, leaving the horrifying place.

Immediately, Max was crawling forwards on her knees, desperately trying to reach Nathan. She hummed behind the duct tape, her concerned eyes raking over his body.

At seeing the abuse Jefferson had inflicted on him Max gagged feeling tears begin to fill her eyes. 'Bastard,' she thought to herself. 'I never thought I would feel bad for Nathan, but this...this...'

The damage was bad, horribly brutal...and to think, he had probably done similar things to Nathan in the past! She had looked up to Jefferson, she even had a little bit of a crush on him! And he...he...

He had been kidnapping girls. Drugging students. Hurting them, abusing them, RAPING them!

Images from that night, of how Jefferson was manipulating Nathan's emotions and body, literally bending the boy to his will zoomed through her mind at lightning speed. Max set her duct tape hands on Nathan's back.

'This isn't fucked up. It's so much worse, that there aren't even words to describe how fucked up this is,' Max thought to herself, as she let out a muffled sob.

The sound must have reached Nathan, though, because he suddenly began moving, his eyelids flickering as he fought towards consciousness.

Warren made a muffled sound, as he finally managed to reach Max and Nathan. His eyes were puffy, and filled with concerned horror.

Finally, Nathan's eyes cracked open, focusing on Max and Warren.

Faster than Max would have thought possible, considering his tortured state, Nathan pulled his underpants and pants back into place, rolling over onto his back. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before sitting up.

His eyes darted between Max's and Warren's, looking strangely clearer than both of them had ever seen.

"We don't have much time," he croaked out, before brutally ripping the duct tape off of both of their mouths.

They both yelped, but Nathan paid them no mind, as he began working on the duct tape attached to their wrists and feet.

"He'll be back soon," Nathan said shakily. "He thinks I took my normal pill, which leaves me in some sort of stupor for about an hour after I take it. But I got some expensive-ass shit diet pills that look nearly identical to them, so he would never be able to know that there was something different. He's really fucking stupid."

Max and Warren were both staring at Nathan. He was talking quickly, his eyes wide and hands shaking. But the clearness to his eyes was unmistakable: For perhaps the first time ever, they were seeing the Nathan Prescott buried beneath the drugs.

"N...Nathan?" Max managed to choke out.

He turned terrified eyes to hers. "I...I-I'm so sorry..." He took a deep breath, running a shaky hand through his hair. "I r-really am...I never meant for any of this to happen...for anyone...to see...but we have to go. Now. Otherwise..." He took a deep breath. "None of us are leaving here."

Max took a deep breath as well. She knew her next actions were going to mean something big. And judging by the way nothing happened when she lifted up her arm, there would be no going back with this decision.

"Okay. I trust you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N My. Poor. Child. That's all I have to say. TnT
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Salutations, dearies! Long time no see! It is important to note that this story is no longer canon, though I tried to add some things from episode 5 in this. Regardless, this has a much better (read happier) ending than episode 5 did, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> It is also my headcanon that the storm was created to "cleanse" the town of the evil within (read jeffershit) so that concept comes to life in this chapter!

Nathan was suffering - that much was quite obvious to both Warren and Max. He walked with a pronounced limp, his pants were stained with blood, and the absolute horror flashing in those eyes was enough to prove that Nathan was not - in fact - as "alright" as he claimed.

While they were sneaking out of the horrible room, heading over to Nathan's truck, Warren had grabbed Max's arm, whispering, "He has to be running on adrenalin. There's no other explanation for how he could still be functioning."

And really, there wasn't. It was obvious that Nathan very clearly felt the pain shooting through his body, but he seemed to be refusing to react to it.

Unless it wasn't adrenalyn. Maybe...maybe Nathan was just too used to the abuse he had been suffering that things like this hardly phased him anymore.

Max doubted that was true. Regardless, she quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind - there wasn't time to think about such things, right then.

"Q-quickly," Nathan hissed, as he opened the door for Max and Warren to slide in, before he climbed in as well.

His hands shook badly, as he fired up the engine, and his face was starting to look a sickening shade of white that was incredibly unnatural.

"Are...are you sure you're okay to drive?" Warren asked, his thoughts seemingly following the same line as Max's.

Nathan merely shifted into drive, flooring it out of the barn.

Max, squished in between Nathan and Warren, felt oddly safe, though she knew none of them were safe yet. In fact, they were so far from it, Max felt an acute sense of hopelessness about their situation.

Granted, that despondent feeling could have been coming from the fact that her best friend was dead, or the fact that the guy to her right looked like he was about to have a mental breakdown, or the guy to her left had been...

"He...h-he raped you," Max breathed, her mind still unable to wrap around that fact.

Nathan's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "Not the first time," he muttered, feigning nonchalance, in spite of his shaking voice. Max felt sick. "But it will be the last. One way, or another."

"We need to call the police!" Warren said suddenly, his voice echoing in the truck. Nathan winced.

"We can't. They can't be trusted."

Warren ran his hands through his hair spastically. "Dude...I...I..."

"I know," Nathan whispered solemnly. He glanced over briefly at Warren, his face drawn. "It ends tonight. All of this. It will all be over soon."

"What are you going to do?" Max asked quickly, her eyebrows furrowed. Nathan slammed on the breaks so he could make it around a turn. Max couldn't say she was surprised that Nathan drove like a bat out of hell, especially given their current situation. However, she figured the rain beginning to pound on the road would have caused him to slow down a little, if only for safety reasons.

"I'm dropping you two off somewhere safe. That's all you need to know," he said cryptically, as they neared the edge of town.

"Nathan-" Warren began.

"Nathan, we can help you. This...you don't have to go through this alone anymore!" Max exclaimed. Warren nodded in agreement.

Nathan winced, his hands tightening on the steering wheel so much that they shook worse than they had been. "I...I'm sorry..."

He pulled up beside a familiar house, but didn't put the car in park. "Get out," he said firmly, his eyes staring straight forward.

"Nathan," Max pleaded.

"Get. OUT!" he screamed, violently slamming his fist against the dashboard. Quickly, Warren and Max slid out into the cold darkness, the rain falling heavily upon them. Nathan reached over, slamming the car door shut. He looked absolutely furious.

Warren wrapped a comforting arm around Max's shoulders - she hadn't even realized she was shaking as much as she was, until that moment.

As he lead her towards the Price-Madsen household, Max heard Nathan rev the engine once. She glanced back, only briefly, but it was enough.

That hadn't been fury on his face. It had been terror. And determination.

It was as though he knew he was charging into a battle he knew he'd never come home from.

In one swift moment, Max jerked away from Warren, running towards the road. Warren shouted after her, but his words fell on deaf ears.

She refused to let another person die.

Nathan's tires screeched against the pavement as she lunged onto the road. And then, everything happened in a flash.

The rough braking of Nathan's truck, the headlights glaring at Max brightly through the rain, and Nathan's face frozen in horror as his car slammed into Max.

It all happened so fast, that Max's mind had to play catch up, as she laid on her back staring up at the dark sky. She blinked slowly, her confusion fading. However, she was immediately jerked out of her thoughts by Nathan's sudden appearance beside her.

"Shit shit SHIT!" he exclaimed, grabbing ahold of her arm tightly. His eyes were wide, already filling with tears as his shaky hands held her arm helplessly. "F-fucking...I-I-I'm s-so sorry, M-Max," Nathan whimpered.

Max sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head with her free hand. "Ugh...I'm fine-"

Nathan squeezed her arm, causing her to look at him. His eyes were more agonized than they had been when Jefferson was hurting him.

"Nathan, I'm okay-"

"Caulfield!" came a sudden shout from the house. She turned around in shock, watching a wide-eyed Warren lead David Madsen over to where she and Nathan were. He immediately knelt down beside her, his eyes quickly scanning over her body, checking to see if she was injured. "Are you alright? What happened?"

Max swallowed hard, ignoring the way Nathan's hands were shaking violently. "I'm okay. Nathan...he-"

David's eyes suddenly darted up, meeting Nathan's. The boy flinched, hunching his shoulders. "Prescott, what are you doing here?"

Nathan opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. His jaw quivered, tears starting to run down his face, mingling with the falling rain.

Max spoke before Nathan could work himself up even worse. "Mr. Madsen...we...we need help..."

He glanced between Max and Nathan, his face suspicious. "What happened...?"

"Max and I," Warren spoke up, shifting back and forth on his feet, shivering slightly, "we got kidnapped. By Mr. Jefferson."

David Madsen's face immediately became severe. "That...I knew that fucker was up to something." He suddenly glared down at Nathan, who flinched, his forehead practically touching the pavement he was curled up so tightly. "And I suppose you were somehow involved with that shit as well, considering how "close you and Jeffershit are-"

"Nathan saved us!" Max snapped protectively, settling a gentle hand on his quivering back. He glanced up at her, his eyes shocked at how aggressive she was in her defending him. "He's also really hurt... He needs help."

David looked away from Max, eyeing Nathan with a judging eye. A second later, he sighed, reaching down and helping Max up. As soon as she was standing beside Warren, he reached down, helping Nathan to his feet.

However, the trauma and pain from Jefferson's actions must have suddenly caught up with him, as he swayed dangerously, his face going pale and his eyes going glossy. David caught him as he passed out, quickly hoisting him up into his arms, heading back towards the house. Warren and Max followed behind them, worry evident on both of their faces.

OoO

Max pulled the blanket tighter around herself, watching as Joyce gently toweled Nathan's forehead. As soon as they'd made their way into the house, Joyce had immediately swooped in, demanding what was happening. David had merely thrust Nathan into her arms, demanding she "take care of" him, before quickly interrogating Max and Warren, having them give a run-down of the Dark Room situation. After only a few minutes, he was headed out of the house, talking on his phone with the Arcadia Bay police department.

Joyce had quickly given Max and Warren blankets and coffee, settling them down in the living room, before spreading out Nathan on the couch. She covered him up with a thick blanket, before settling beside him, kindly tending to him.

Warren came back from the kitchen after refilling his mug, settling back down in his chair. Joyce stood from her place beside Nathan, pulling over a dining room chair to sit beside the other two. She gave them a look. "So what exactly happened with you three?"

"We were kidnapped by our photography teacher, Mark Jefferson," Max said quietly. In spite of the many times she had said this, she still couldn't believe it. "H-he...he drugged us, and brought us to this sick room...and...and Nathan..." Max bit her lip, feeling tears come to her eyes. "He...he saved us...but...Jefferson... he..."

"He r...r-raped him. He hit him around and forced him to take this medication and he raped him," Warren whispered, his eyes watering as well. Joyce looked between the two of them, her face horrified.

Placing a hand over her mouth, Joyce whispered, "Oh my God..."

Max jolted as Warren's hand suddenly reached across the space between their two chairs, grabbing her hand and rubbing a thumb across her knuckles in a small attempt at comforting her.

Joyce swallowed hard, clearly trying to put on a brave face. "Was this...a one-time thing?"

"He said it had happened before..." Warren supplied weakly.

Joyce sighed heavily, placing a hand on her forehead. "And all those times he had come into the diner...how did I not notice?"

"None of us did," Max said gently, using her free hand to grasp Joyce's.

"I'm sure David will kick himself when he finds out," she whispered, her voice sorrowful. "He despises it when harm comes to any of his students, especially when he doesn't catch the person causing the harm right away. And the fact that it was a teacher, no less..."

They sat in silence for a while, the sadness nearly suffocating. Max felt herself breaking down on the inside, from the trauma from Chloe being killed, to discovering her teacher was the most evil person she knew, to everything with Nathan...

Max jolted slightly. Chloe...Joyce, David...they didn't know!

As if on cue, Joyce looked to Max. "Where's Chloe? She's been gone since this morning..."

Max felt herself tense, her breath catching in her throat. However, Nathan chose that exact moment to moan, his head tossing from side to side.

Max, Joyce, and Warren all immediately dropped hands, going over to Nathan. His eyes flickered open, slowly, before opening wide as he looked between all of them in a panic.

"Nathan, it's alright!" Max said quickly, grabbing ahold of his hand without a thought.

He winced at her sudden touch, trying to sit up. However, he let out a pained noise, flopping back on the couch. "Gah...hurts..."

Joyce left his side, quickly running up the stairs, before she entered the room once more. In her hands, she held a couple painkillers and a glass of water. Nathan eagerly threw the pills back dry, his face slowly relaxing. "H...h-he's never been...this...rough, before..."

Max covered her mouth, feeling sick to her stomach. She turned away from him, squeezing her eyes shut.

No. She couldn't let this carry on. She had to go back.

"Warren," she said abruptly. "I need that picture you took of us earlier."

Warren looked at her confused. "I...why? It wasn't that good-"

"Please, Warren!" she begged, her voice raw. She glanced back briefly to see Warren, Joyce, and Nathan all giving her a strange look. However, Warren quickly fished the picture out of his pocket, handing it to her. Max nodded in thanks, before her eyes darted down to meet Nathan's. A strange look of realization had dawned on his face.

Max wasn't sure if he knew, somehow, or if he had somehow managed to figure out her powers...regardless, Max wasn't sure if she would have had the power to go back, if he hadn't given her a little nod.

Max nodded briefly back at him, before looking down at the photo and focusing-

OoO

A flash and Max was back outside of Blackwell, Warren's arm wrapped around her shoulder and Chloe standing there-

Chloe standing there-

Chloe standing-

Chloe-

Chloe-

Chloe alive-

Chloe not dead-

"Chloe!" Max exclaimed, lunging forward, wrapping her arms around Chloe's neck as tightly as possible, hugging her best friend.

"Max? What's gotten into you?" Chloe asked.

Warren gave a slight yawn, stumbling. "I guess I'll go back to my dorms-"

"No!" Max yelled, reaching out and pulling Warren into their group hug. "No, no one is leaving my side!"

Chloe pulled back slightly. "Max, we gotta find Nathan-"

"Nathan!" Max exclaimed. She immediately fished out her phone, typing Nathan's number in and hitting "call".

"Max, what the fu-" Chloe exclaimed, watching her actions.

However, after two rings, Nathan picked up. "What do you want Cauf-"

"Nathan, I know!" she breathed into the phone.

"Know what? What the fuck ever are you talking about-"

"I-we, know about Jefferson!" Max spoke. Warren and Chloe gave her a confused look. Max looked between both of their eyes as she spoke to Nathan. "I know about the Dark Room...I know what he's been doing to all the girls, and what he's been making you do...and...I..." Max hesitated, a pained look coming across her face. "I know what he's done to you..."

What Max was saying seemed to dawn on Chloe's face and she stared at Max shocked. "Jefferson? Your photography teacher-"

"I know he killed Rachel," Max said firmly, staring at Chloe. Her friend gasped, her eyes tearing up as she stumbled back a step.

Nathan, meanwhile, was breathing heavily on the other end. Finally, after several moments of silence, he spoke one simple sentence: "I...never w-wanted anyone to get hurt."

"I...I know, Nathan. I know." Max swallowed back her emotions, remembering how Nathan had risked everything to save her and Warren back in the dark room. Remembering how he had been so willing to charge off after Jefferson and "handle" him, himself.

"Nathan, you need to listen to me," Max said firmly, reigning in her emotions. "Jefferson drugged Warren, and I know he's planning on drugging me and...and killing Chloe..." Chloe covered her mouth once more, her eyes going wide. "And...if you go to the Dark Room tonight, he's going to do something to you...something horrible...and...I don't want you to go through that. So please, I beg of you...please, meet us at David Madsen's house."

There was silence. Absolute silence. And then, "Okay. I'll be there."

Max let out a breath, letting a smile ghost across her face. Pulling Warren and Chloe back to her to hug them once more, she whispered, "See you there," before everything faded away.

OoO

Things briefly flashed by her eyes, too quick for her to tell what was happening, siding from a few moments.

She saw herself, Chloe, and Warren arriving at the Price-Madsen household.

She saw Nathan arriving and her hugging him.

She saw them all talking to David Madsen.

She saw David Madsen storming into Jefferson's bunker, with the Arcadia Bay police department at his heals.

She saw Jefferson draw a gun.

She saw Jefferson dead on the ground.

Everything faded, before sharpening suddenly. And there she was, sat in the living room once more, a blanket around her shoulders and a mug of coffee in her hands. This time, though, she was sitting on the couch, sandwiched between Chloe and Warren. One of the major differences also, was that there was no storm raging outside, only a light rain, growing lighter.

"I...we did it," she whispered. "We cleansed Arcadia Bay."

Chloe gave her a strange look. "What?"

Max shook her head, smiling. "Nothing." She glanced around, her heart skipping a beat. "W-wait...where's Nathan?"

"Right here," a moody voice came from the kitchen, before he materialized around the corner, holding a coffee of his own. Seeing him standing there, his face in it's normal pouty expression, seeing him okay...

Max jumped to her feet, flinging her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "N-Nathan..."

Nathan tensed, before relaxing slightly. "What, two hugs in one night, Caufield? Your bitches gonna get jealous," he sneered. However, he didn't push her away.

At least there was that.

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered into his ear. He froze, at that.

Slowly, he pulled away, clearing his throat awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but her. "Um...for...what it's worth..." Slowly, his bright eyes met hers. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

She smiled at him, tears in her eyes. He blushed, quickly going around her to take a seat in the living room, on the edge of the couch by Warren.

"Enough of this mushy shit," Chloe muttered, flipping on the television. "Let's watch some funny bullshit. It's gonna be a long night."

Max settled back into her spot, as whatever Chloe deemed "funny bullshit" began playing. It would be a long night, she knew. Chloe's wounds from discovering Rachel's body were fresh, and Warren still had Jefferson's drugs running through his system, and Nathan still had his trauma from Jefferson, and Max had her memories...it wasn't only going to be a long night, but it was also going to be a long road to recovery.

In spite of that, the rain outside had stopped. She knew everything would get better, then.

After all, the storm was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End
> 
> A/N AM I MEAN FOR HAVING YOU ALL WAIT THIS LONG? I'm so sorry, I just got so BUSY AND UGH. Anyway, I honestly hope you all enjoyed this piece, and I hope you will all leave a review to tell me what you thought!
> 
> Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> I am actually making this like a three-shot...so...yeah.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review!


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